Tie clasp



July 4, 1950 @RAGG ETA; 2,514,048

TIE CLASP Filed Sept. 20, 1949 INVENTOR Qq fellly Gray I BY Qm,amYM

l7 ATTORNEYS Patented July 4, 1950 -Henry Gre g and Donald F. Bell, Prescott, Aria,

. assignorsnof one-third to Laurence S. Mason,

Prescott,

Application September 20, 1949, Serial No. 116,812

. 1 a The invention relates to provements in a tie clasp for four-in-hand neckties and more in particular to a tie clasp common on the present day market which has a member for engaging the shirt and a member for holding the tie in place against the shirt. It is common practice to have the part of .the claspwhich holds the tie in place in the form of a link chain through which the tiemay be inserted or to be formed as an integral part of the member which engages the shirt and be, adapted to frictionally hold the tie against the same. .In either case itis also common practice to mount lodge emblems, ornamental jewelry, figures, or initials of gold and the like, suspended from the link chain or attached directly to the member whichfrictionally engages the tie as the case may be. Some of these emblems are very valuable, sentimentally and otherwise. The clasps of the typede scribed above are secured to the. shirt solely by,

frictional engagement of themembers of the clasp. Such clasps; have no positive holding means other-than friction and they are often easily dislodged and lost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a clasp of the above type with a locking means which positively grips the shirt and cannot beremoved without the wearer releasing the locking means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tie clasp of the above type having inner and outer members between which the shirt pleat is placed with an arm carrying prongs which are adapted to be imbedded'in the shirt fabric and a keeper for holding the arm in clos d position.

In the drawings: r

Figure 1 is a top view of the tie clasp with the holding arm in closed or lockj'ed-position;

Figure 2 is a rear plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a front plan view of the same;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a side view of the locking arm, and the supporting means therefor;

Figure 6 is a view of the end of the inner member and showing the lugs for supporting the holding arm; and

Figure '7 is a front plan view, on a smaller scale, showing a modified form of mounting the emblem.

The improved tie clasp includes inner and outer members which are formed preferably from a single piece of wire, shaped and disposed so as to slidably engage the shirt pleat and frictionally grip the same. An arm is pivotally supported by newt'and useful im-.

' j Claim; (01. 2449) ber 2.

the inner member and which are adapted to be imbedded in the shirt for holding the clasp on the shirt. The arm is held is placed between said outer member and the link chain for holding the same in position on the wearer. An emblem may be mounted on the chain between the ends thereof, or the emblem.

may be mounted on the tie holding bar direct.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, and particularly to Figures 1 to 6 thereof, the tie clasp includes-an outer member I, and an inner mem- The outer member includes two parallel bars 3, 3 which are integrally joined at the outer end as indicated at 4. Thesebars are paralleland slightly spaced from each other. The inner member of the tie. clasplikewise includes two bars 6, 6 formed integral with the bars 3, 3 respectively. The bars 6, 6 at the end of the clasp, where theinner member is joined-to the outer member, are close together for a short distance and then the barswiden outas indicated at 1, I.

These bars as indicated at l; 1 are also bent upwardly into the plane of the bars3, 3, but lie outside'of s-aid bars 3, 3. These bars 6, 6, toward the outer or free end of the inner member are'again bent inwardly. at 8, Band joined at 9.

The outer end of the inner member extends Inasmuch as the inner member is curved upwardlyinto the plane of the bars 3, ;'3 when the clasp-is .in' place, the spring of the bars will cause the clasp to frictionally grip the shirt.

Depending from the bars 1, l are lugs 1 1 which are joined by a cross bar Hi. This cross bar supports an arm II which is mounted thereon so as to swing freely toward and away from the inner member of the tie clasp. The arm carries sharp prongs l3, l3 which are struck up from the arm. The arm is shaped so that when it is swung to closed position as indicated in Figure 1, the prongs will project out through the space between the bars 3, 3 of the outer member and will penetrate the pleat of the shirt.

Mounted on the bars 6, B of the inner member is a sleeve I4 which is rigidly attached to said bars. This said sleeve carries a keeper l5 which extends downwardly, thence rearwardly and thence upwardly for a short distance so that the is provided with prongs In the form of the invention shown in Fig ures 1 to 6, attached to the clasp is a link chain This chain is indicated at H. At the free end of said outer member is a lug I Wandsbne 'endof the chain is linked thereto. The-sleeved! hasa'pro 5'" jecting arm I9 and the other end of the chain is secured thereto. The chainjsfofisuohrlengtrtthat;

the tie will extend between the chain and the h clasp and the chain will drape gracefully over" and across the tie, the weareri Mounted on the link chain intermediate fltlie' ends tliereof may be placed an emblem of a-lodg'e orffatrnity; ornamental jewelry; the minareof me wearer' or other "ornaments-1 1 isi'ndiGated 'atZZD in tI'ie diawings:

Whenit:isdsired toplace the"tie clas-p -on the shirt} the arm -is releasedand SWung to' ope'n p0 sitionz Theshirt' pleati is tl ienentered into the open-mouth li betweenth'e outer and ir'mer members of the tie'claspa As-th'e clasp is pushed onto the shirt, it will he -gripped 5 between.- the inner and outer' members which fr'ictio'nally 'engage th'e shirt-i Wlie'n the-iclasp has- -fbeenproperly placed omthe shirt' therr the'arm is swung to c1osed.posi tron: and pron'gs caused" to-"'-imbed in {thefabricof th'e shirti The outeror Tree end of-tlae arm-is th'en' placed in: the keeper and this will firm-lylock thearm in closedpositions a The tie is inserted' hetween th'e ciasp and the chain and the chain win support the emblem-oars rid ?thereby against the ba'okground of the tier These-ornaments are ofte-nzo'f great value -tomhe wearer: The-improved clasp; positively lockedto" th'e shirt; removes all worry -as to the clasp beingdi'slodged and lost;

- In Figure 7 there -is sliownamodifiedform ot mounting: for' theemblemz The chain and th'e lugs to which 'it is:attached are 'not usedi .Ufi'e holding the tiein position on 29 T-he= ornament 25- and the pleat of the garment are both passed between the inner and outer member of the clasp so that the outer member carrying the emblem will overlie the tie. After the clasp has been placed, the arm I4 is swung to closed position thus embedding the prongs in the pleat of the garment and the end of. the armis then placed in the keeper-215: This securely locks; the clasp to the garment, holds the tie properly positioned and displays the emblem against th background ofthe tie.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the details of construction and shaping of the partsli'withoutideparting from the spirit of the inventionjass'etjiorth in the appended claim.

We claim:

--"Aetresclaspsforfour=in-hand neckties comprising .innen and outer members of flexible material integrally joined at therouter end of the clasp, said members being shaped and disposed relative toeach"other-sofas* to sl-idably and frietionally engagemshirfiplat, an arm pivotally sup'ported by the innerfrnember at the 'inner "end portion-' thereoF-andxtendihg alongsaid inner member to "a p int adjacent the out'eren'd* of-said "clasp,"- fabrio'"g ripping means' 'carrled b' z" said arm inter media-tethe ends'thereof and adapted to" griptlfe shirt pleat"when tliefarmis in closed position? 'a rigidikee'per supported b'ysaid "inner memberad jacent the: outer end of the clasp, said keeper having t'he end portion thereof oilset 'laterally to' overlie-3 the arm and turned back-toward said in' nermember-toprovidea recess'intowvhich" the end portion ofthe arm' may-be sprung -for po's-itively L hbldin'g' -the arm' in iclosed po'sitiong' said arm be I in'gidimensroned was to "extend? beyond said keeper and proyidea" finger-"grip for moving'said arminto *andbut of locking; engagement with-the keeper said arm" terminating-short of the outer end bf-"tlie clasp andmeansassociated with said clasp for"supportihg anddisplaying an 'emble'mr HENRY GRAGG.

'- n REEEBENGESi-UITED? The'iollowing -references" are of record 15515118; fil'eoffthis-patent: I I. v

I UNITED STATES PATENTS Iii this'tform -of mounting fonthe emblm thes r'tie 

